Tarragona Top Sights - Travel Inspires Experiences€¦ · Tarragona Top Sights 2. TARRAGONA ROMAN ROUTE Tarragona, formerly called Tárraco in Roman times, was a Roman capital of

Tarragona Top Sights

By Jackie De Burca

Tarragona Top Sights1. Tarragona Cathedral Santa Thecla (Saint Tecla)

1. TARRAGONA CATHEDRAL

This magnificent Cathedral was declared to be a National monument in 1905.In the year 1171 construction began, and as is often the case, the site chosenhad already been home to other spiritual buildings, such as a Roman Temple,a Moorish Mosque and a Visigothic Cathedral. Today the Cathedral of SantaTecla looms over the old quarter majestically in the region's typical sandstone,with its emblematic soaring entrance and its façade's rose coloured window.

Cathedral © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress)

Tarragona Top Sights - Travel Inspires

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Although its architecture began in the Romanesque genre, laterelements were created in the Gothic style, as construction carried onover a few centuries. In 1331, the Cathedral was consecrated butbuilding work ceased from 1348 because of the horrific impact of theBlack Death.

Even though construction work started later again and continued fora number of centuries, the Cathedral's main façade, which featuresthree beautiful portals, remains unfinished. However the intricate,amazing stone sculptures of the apostles have a suitablybreathtaking impact to distract the visitor for a while.

The Cathedral just keeps on giving with its ever so impressive tower,spectacular altarpiece and numerous chapels.

2. Tarragona UNESCO Roman Ruins


https://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever



2. TARRAGONA ROMAN ROUTE

Tarragona, formerly called Tárraco in Roman times, was a Roman capital ofgreat importance. Archaeological excavations have revealed a collection ofRoman ruins which present an impressive picture of how life was during thatera. In fact this ensemble of exceptional importance was declared to be aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Amphitheatre © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress)


https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/875



The amphitheatre is a marvellous sight overlooking theMediterranean sea, with a capacity for an audience of 15,000 people.Each year in May, the festival Tárraco Viva takes place for two weeksgiving visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in Roman lifereenactments and experiences. The video below by the Tourist Boardof Tarragona is a taste of this, filmed in the amphitheatre.

Other highlights include the Roman circus and theatre, two integralaspects of Roman life, which the Romans considered essential for agood lifestyle. In our routes section you can find the Roman Route, butsome relics are even hidden in restaurants and rock bars inTarragona's historical centre, the Part Alta.

Discover more about the Roman Route3. Tarragona Medieval Route

3. TARRAGONA MEDIEVAL ROUTE

The Cathedral is part of Tarragona's Medieval Route, which includes otherhighlights such as the King's Castle, the Jewish Quarter, the Church of St.Lawrence and the city's walls, which were originally Roman.


https://travelinspires.org/tarragona-spain-travel-guide/#routes



Mercat Central (Central market) © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress)

Learn more about Tarragona's Medieval Route4. Tarragona Modernist Route

4. TARRAGONA MODERNIST ROUTE

Throughout Catalonia there are numerous marvellous examples of ModernistArchitecture and Tarragona is no exception. The Tarragona Modernist Routetakes you to twenty three examples of this genre dotted around the city,including the city's slaughterhouse, the wonderful Ximeni's house, the CentralMarket and the fascinating boat-type architecture of the Metropol Theatre.





Discover more about Tarragona's Modernist Route5. Wandering Around Tarragona's Old Quarter

While parts of all of these routes will take you into the old quarter, it isso full of character and beauty that it is worth spending some timejust wandering aimlessly around it. Rather than having a specificroute or agenda, why not appreciate its contrasts, streets,architecture, shops, bars and restaurants by discovering it at yourown pace.





Merceria Street Arches

One of my favourite streets is Carrer Merceria (Merceria Street), whichtakes you from the steps of the Cathedral to the Baixada delPatriarca, with its wonderful Gothic 14th century arches. This was thelocation of the farmers' market in the Middle Ages. These days you'llfind a Sunday morning antique market there.6. Tarragona's Castellers Experience (Human Towers)

5. HUMAN CASTLES

While the tourist authority of the city has adopted the theme of Living History,which is certainly true, Castellers are an absolutely essential aspect of theidentity and culture of Tarragona. Castellers, which translates into humantowers, is a tradition that can be traced back to 1712, in the town of Valls inthe province of Tarragona. The practice didn't take long to spread to otherplaces in Catalonia.




Incredibly impressive and of huge social importance nowadays in theCatalan culture, these human towers can go up to ten tiers. Todayacross Catalonia there are more than 15,000 people in over 100groups passionately practising this amazing tradition.

Human castles © Manel R. Granell

As Tarragona was one of the earliest adopters of human towers, thecity is immensely proud of this tradition and visitors can marvel atthis spectacle from late June until late October.7. National Museum of Archaeology (Tarragona Museu Nacional Arqueologic de Tarragona)

Website: https://www.mnat.cat/en/


https://festival.si.edu/blog/human-towers-a-visual-history-of-a-catalan-tradition

https://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/en/tarragona-city-human-towers

https://www.mnat.cat/en/



6. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY

Originally a provincial museum in the middle of the 19th century, Tarragona'sNational Museum of Archaeology is home to a very important collection ofartifacts from the Roman era, including pottery and sculpture.

8. Tarragona Balcony of the Mediterranean (Balcó del Mediterrani)

A beautiful balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, when you visityou need to "tocar ferro" which means to touch iron, on this specialrailing to bring you luck. Apart from the luck it is rumoured to bringyou, the views are spectacular.

Balcó del Mediterrani (Mediterranean “balcony”) © Manel Antolí (RVEdipress)9. Saunter and sample in El Serrallo




7. EL SERRALLO

El Serrallo is the fishermen’s district of Tarragona. It is living history of thecity's fishing tradition, which has been written about as far back as the 13thcentury.

Saunter around the labyrinth of cobbled streets with its characterful,colourful narrow buildings. Once rather rundown, the Serallo district isa vibrant place to sample some delicious seafood while absorbingTarragona's strong link to the sea.

El Serrallo © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress)

Located in El Serallo is a great fish market and a large fishing fleet. Theonly downside is trying to decide which restaurant to choose, fromthe numerous ones on offer.10. Tamarit Castle (Castell de Tamarit)




8. TAMARIT CASTLE

Located 10 km on the road to Altafulla, on the N-340 at KM 1171, is thegorgeous Tamarit Castle which stands majestically overlooking theMediterranean sea. It can be traced back to the 11th century and combinesboth defensive and residential elements. Today it is a wedding and eventsvenue.

The whole walled village and the castle combines GothicRomanesque and Renaissance architecture. In fact its church is oneof the purest, earliest examples of the Romanesque genre within theentire municipality of Tarragona.11. The Devil's Bridge (Pont del Diable)




9. THE DEVIL'S BRIDGE

The aqueduct called Les Ferreres is one of the landmarks of Tarragona, and isknown locally as the Devil's Bridge. It gets this name from an interestinglegend, more about that in a moment. As well as the impressive aqueduct,there is an eco-historic park there. It's a lovely spot to explore the local natureand maybe bring your parents for a picnic. The first Saturday of each month isa big family day out there traditionally, with parents and children gettingtogether to enjoy the privileged environment and famous monument.

Les Ferreres Aqueduct Tarragona © Manel R. Granell




According to the legend, there was an elderly couple who needed tocross the old wooden bridge, that used to be in the same location, togo to market each day. The couple had a donkey to help them carrytheir goods to the market. One night there had been a very dramaticstorm, so when the couple reached the old wooden bridge the nextday, it had been destroyed. The man felt useless, knowing that he wasno longer young and strong enough to build a new bridge.

The couple were in shock and feeling really worried about theirsituation, when a mysterious stranger appeared, as if out of nowhere.He asked them about their troubles, so they explained what hadhappened. The stranger said he would build a new bridge for them.The couple asked what he wanted in exchange for the new bridge. Hereplied that he would want the soul of the first creature to cross thenew bridge. After some time, they agreed, as they had no othersolution. Of course they already knew that if the man could build abridge for them like this, he had to be the devil himself.

The next morning they walked to the place of the old wooden bridge,and there was a fine impressive new bridge there. The stranger hadcarried out his part of the bargain, now it was their turn. The womanused the rod to get their donkey moving and the three startedwalking over the new bridge. The donkey was the first one to cross.The devil was very angry, but there was nothing he could do, excepttake the soul of the poor creature.




Les Ferreres Aqueduct / Pont del Diable Bridge (Devil’s Bridge) © ManelAntolí (RV Edipress)

If you (or your child) would like to read a happier version of this story,head over to:

Daniel the donkey and the devil's deal


https://travelinspires.org/tarragona-spain-travel-guide/#legend


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Tarragona Top Sights - Travel Inspires Experiences€¦ · Tarragona Top Sights 2. TARRAGONA ROMAN ROUTE Tarragona, formerly called Tárraco in Roman times, was a Roman capital of